Grave-vault.



' UNITED sTArEsfrATENT OFFICE..

JOHN YOUNG, OEBELLEFONTAINE, OHIO.

'i Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 25, 1910.'

Application led. April 18, 1910. Seri-a1 No. 556,225. I

To all 'whom t#may confiera:

Be it known'that I, JOHN YOUNG, a. citi- -zen of the United States, residing at Bellefontaine, in the county of Logan and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and use-`v ful Improvements in Grave-Vaults, of which the following is' a specification.

This invention relates to grave vaults and one of the principal objects of the same is to provide simple, reliable and eicient means for locking the door of the vault to y hermetically seal said vault.

locking device adapted to be -turn'edfto throw out the plates for locking the same in a guideway within the end of the vault, means being provided for preventing the unlocking of the door after it has been locked to seal the vault. l f

These and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the' accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure l is a side elevation and-partial Asection of my grave vault showing the door` open. Fig. 2 is a' vertical sectional view 4through the body of the vault looking toward the inner side of the door with the locking plates in unlocked position, said 'view being on a larger scale than that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionalview on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking in the .1Q-,direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 4

is` sectional view showing the locking plates thrown outwardito lock the door and seal the vault, Fig. 5 is a -sectional view on thelihe 5--5 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction iiidicated by the arrows-4` Fig. 6 1s a sectional view on an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawing the numeral 1 designates a grave vault which may be of concrete, metal, or other suitable materlal and provided at one end with a flange 2v which extends entirely around a door-open-1 ing Connected-fgto this end of the vault by means of suitable,- hinges 4 is a-door 5 which extends practically iush at its edges with. the inside y of the endv of the `vault. Extending through the door` 5 is a threaded -s'crewf6, said screw having a collar 7 thereon, and the outer end of said screw being squared as at Stor the application of 'a wrench or key. A soft metal washer 9 surrounds the unthreaded portion of the screw 6 and is adapted to bear upon the inner side of the door 5, 'as shown more particularly in Fig. 6. Mounted on the screw 6.is a cam 9, said cam having radial lugs 10. Pivotally connected to each of the radial lugs 10 by means of a pin 11, is a member 12, each provided with an outwardly projecting pin 13. A series of triangular locking plates 14, each provided with an eccentric or curved slot 15, through which the pins 13 project, is connected to the door 5 by means of headed. studs or pins 16 which extend through slots 17 in said triangular plates, said pins being secured to the door 5 in any suitable manner. Connected to the inside of the vault nearthe end 2 of the same is an anglek iron door-stop 18, and the plates 14 Vwhen forced outward extend behind the projecting fla-ngeofthe door stop 18, as shownin Fig. 6. Between the flange of the angle iron and the door 5, a soft metal gasket 9is inserted. Connected to the lowermost triangular plate 14 is a pivoted latch 20 adapted to engage one of the pins .13 when the triangular plates arethrown outward to prevent unlockng the door vafter it as been locked.

The operation `of my invention Vmay. be-

briefly described as follows: When the ,door l` is in the position shown in Figs. 2 and the screw 6 is turned by means of a suitable key or wrench applied to the squared portion 8, said screw being turned toward the left for throwing out the plates 14 and locking the door firmly against the soft metal the plates 14 behind the flange 18 ofthe door-stop. When the plates V14 have been thrown outward, the latch 20 will drop and engage its pin 13 to prevent backward moveo Y ment of the cam 9. The-plates 14 are then in the position, shown in Fig. 6 By turning Oasket 19 and carrying the outer edgesof" the screw 6 toward the right the cam 9 is drawn outward to straighten out the plates 14 .and to force the ldoor still more rmly againstthe gasket 19 and to prevent the unlocking of the door. y

By -pivoting the members 12 to the radial vlugs l0 of the cam 9, the locking plates 14.

may assume the position shown in 6 without straining the pins 13, and by means of the pivots the locking plates may be drawn into alinement, as shown in Fig. 5. From theforegoing it will be obvious that a grave vault door made in accordance with my invention, can be manufactured. at, com paratively low cost, can be applied to any form of grave vault with slight modification, will serve to reliably close and seal the vault and prevent its reopening.

Havin thus fully described the invention` what is c aimed as new 1s;

QA' vault door provided with` a centrally disposed screw having a squared wrench face upon its outer end, a cam mounted upon the threaded portion of said screw, pivoted members carried by the cam, said members having inwardly extending pins, triangular plates provided with' curved slots through which said pins extend, said plates .bein slidingly vmounted upon said door, an means for looking said plates a ainst inward movement after they have een projected by means of the screw and cam.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN YOUNG.

Witnesses W. T. KINGSBURY, J. F. ROYER. 

